NFL Week 2 Prime Time Betting Picks
After an exciting round of season openers, the 2020 NFL season heads into Week 2. The prime time lineup of games features one heated division rivalry and two interesting interconference tilts.
Thursday Night Football- Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) at Cleveland Browns (0-1)
BetOnline sportsbook has opened Cleveland as a six-point home favorite with the total set at 43 ½ points.
Both teams lost their season opener straight-up. The Bengals earned a PUSH in a 16-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. The Browns came up well short in a 38-6 road loss against Baltimore.
The lean in this AFC North clash goes towards the Bengals plus the points. They have covered against the spread in nine of their last 11 games against Cleveland. Cincinnati is also 5-1 ATS in its last six road games against the Browns.
Sunday Night Football- New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks
Seattle is favored by four points at home on Sunday night with the total set at 45 points.
Cam Newton’s debut as New England’s new quarterback went as good as expected. He led his team to a 21-11 victory at home against the AFC East rival Miami Dolphins. The Patriots closed as seven-point favorites.
Russell Wilson looked sharp as well in the Seahawks’ 38-25 victory over Atlanta as slight one-point road underdogs. He threw for 322 yards and four touchdowns.
I am going with the OVER 45 in this interconference matchup. With two featured quarterbacks at the helm, the points are going to add up fast.
Monday Night Football- New Orleans Saints at Las Vegas Raiders
Week 2 closes things out with Las Vegas making its home debut as six-point underdogs. The total for this game opened at 51 ½ points.
New Orleans Saints will be going for the 2-0 start (SU and ATS). The Saints topped Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34-23 as four-point favorites at home. Drew Brees was held to 160 yards passing in that game.
The Raiders got off to a strong start by beating Carolina 34-30 to cover as three-point road favorites. Las Vegas rushed for 133 yards behind Josh Jacobs. He also found the end zone three times running the ball.
This game is one of my upset specials of the week. The brand new Allegiant Stadium will be empty on Monday night. However, the luck of Vegas shines on the Raiders in their home debut.
Week 1 NFL Betting Trends:
Overall, the oddsmakers were on their game in Week 1. There were nine favorites that covered the spread in the first 16 games. The home team also went 9-7 ATS with an even 8-8 record SU.
The OVER had the slight edge on the total line. This was the winning play in nine of the 16 games.
It was tough to gauge the effects of empty stands in most of the games. Home field advantage is definitely less of a factor but this is a trend to watch. The total line also yielded inconclusive results in terms of early trends.
